In this article, I’d like to present some useful tools to help you prepare for the DALF C1 and C2.
Want to get DELF certification? Here are our top DELF certificate preparation techniques.
What is the DALF French Exam?
French DELF diplomas (Diplome d’études en langue française) are issued by the French Ministry of National Education and are official diplomas recognized by the French state. The purpose of this linguistic test is to certify that individuals who do not hold a French secondary or higher education diploma can attest to their proficiency in the language.
The DELF is the most widely recognized French exam that can demonstrate your proficiency as a French speaker.
There are no grades: it’s either pass or fail, and you get a DELF certificate when you pass. As the diplomas are independent, you can choose to take the exam that you feel most qualified to pass.
There are CEFR levels, which is a standard method of describing language proficiency, so people across Europe could refer to someone’s language proficiency similarly. The CEFR allows comparisons of language skills, tests, and exams across languages and national borders. Since its creation in 1992, CEFR has become a European and global standard.
DILF, DELF, and DALF are just artifacts names from the past used to distinguish language levels. Names remained, even though since 2006 the diplomas correspond to the unified CEFR levels.
- DELF A1 – expressing themselves in daily situations
- DELF A2 – expressing yourself and your feelings
- DELF B1 – independent, able to express opinions and take part in a discussion
- DELF B2 – independent learner, able to argue their point of view in a detailed manner
- DALF C1 – proficient user to take part in a discussion comfortably
- DALF C2 – proficient speaker, able to join complicated discussions
Learn the difference between DILF, DELF, and DALF, What are they, and which one is right for you?
6 Effective Methods to Pass Your DALF
1. Get a French Course
It sounds a bit repetitive, but it’s an elementary step. A guided French course is what gives structure to your learning, and we all know how easy it is to keep skipping from one topic to another, just because it’s fun. The structure and the order help us learn logically and build up knowledge. Having structural knowledge will help your brain easily find information when necessary. Our advice is to make sure you choose one curriculum and stick to it. When we say getting a French course, it also means finding the right teacher to guide you. There are plenty of online French tutors on Italky, and many of them are actually educated to help you pass your DALF.
2. Surround Yourself with French Media
Learning French is not only hard work, it’s also playing in your free time. If you are preparing for DELF, then every spare moment of your time is valuable. Turn it into an opportunity to train your ear in French. While you are driving, listen to French audio, and read a couple of pages of a French novel before bed. Scan your morning newspapers in French, while sipping your morning coffee. Find more ideas on how to immerse yourself in French.
3. Do Mock Exams
The more you understand the exam process and know what’s coming, the more you’ll be able to remain stress-free and give the best possible performance in French. Effective preparation is half the battle. At least that’s what they say. Doing mock-up exams will help you understand the complexity of the articles you’ll encounter on the exam day. Let’s face it, after a couple of articles read and a few audios listened, you’ll get the pattern and most common vocabulary that repeats over and over.
In the end, the more you go through the mock exams, the more you’ll train your ear to understand French and distinguish the keywords. Eventually, even when you don’t understand the whole conversation, you’ll find your way to mark off the important ideas. Here, you can take a couple of mock-up exams.
Here are the requirements you can expect on a DALF test.
4. Get a Practice Buddy
Besides your French teacher, having a practice buddy can help you immensely become fluent. Sometimes language buddy can even help us progress faster than any other teacher. That’s because we usually feel more relaxed when talking to a friend, than a teacher.
Do you have a friend or relative who speaks French? If not, there’s a free way to meet new friends and start speaking French. One of the most popular places on the internet to get your practice buddy is HelloTalk. It’s a place where you can learn a language for free by chatting with native speakers around the world.
5. Apply Grammar Rules
Don’t just stuff your learning with as many grammars units as you could find in the Riegels. Grammar isn’t just some rules in the book, that you should know by heart. A better option is to practice applying the rule so much, that you forget the rule at the end, but the correct usage comes naturally. Reading this article can help you learn grammar quickly.
6. Work on a Variety of Materials
DALF level students will have to cover every type of content, from everyday conversations to reading a scientific article, understanding a French movie, and reading lifestyle magazines to political debates in newspapers like Figaro. As the terminology varies from media to media, (radio, TV, newspapers, scientific articles), getting acquainted with each one of the different discourses, helps you understand a large variety of content that may appear on your DALF testing.
Meet Katie who Passed DALF after 5 Months of Learning
Katie, is an avid language learner, with an apparently great learning system. Not only did she pass the DALF, but she went from Intermediate to Fluent French speaker in just 5 months. You can read her journey here, and get an insight into the real-life learning process.
It’s Your Turn
Before you start preparing for DALF/DELF, make sure you check your French level. Here you can test your French level for free.
Everything seems more difficult at the beginning. If you didn’t have any idea where to start, we hope you are now headed in the right direction to passing your DALF.
Good luck.
